225 #1 Registry Sets, #7 Overall points, Now I can (semi) retire posted by Dan Hughes

[CSJournals-migration]

What a year, glad it's over as far as the registry competition.

 

Another year come and gone. I was able to get my #1 Registry Set count up to 225. It was 228 until some last minute entries. I'll catch up to those next year. The majority of my collection I'm going to start selling off. It is just too expensive for me to try and continue maintaing and updating all of these sets (as the wife would say, I need to get a life). I have way too many sets to keep up. I didn't even realize that I had another #1 Registry Set sitting in my inventory until this morning and I forgot to enter it until a few minutes after the deadline. I will maintain a few of the sets just because after 50+ years of putting my coin collection together, I don't think I can walk away from it completely. Best of luck to everyone in the coming year. Thanks also to Paul, Josh, Dave & everyone else who helped me put this vast collection together.

Cheers,

Dan

 

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[Lucky One]

congrats Dan, I think. I don't understand the excitement of taking coins that are intentionally made perfect by the millions and then put in slabs to declare that perfection, nor do I understand the concept since anyone with a buttload of money could do the same in short order. For my money, I want something so rare that very few (counted in tens of people) could ever assemble a similar set.

 

To my reasoning, it appears more like whoever has the most $$$ can have the most #1 sets, and I never understood the fun in that. Sure, there was a little thrill of the chase finding the difficult ones, but for the most part, if I won the big lottery tomorrow, next year I would win every single top set award, wouldn't I?

 

You have a lot of interesting bullion coins, but when it comes down to it, will they really hold their value when the registry set frenzy that we've seen of late is over and collectors mature into serious series? And if they don't, how much interest will there be then?

 

I'm not intentionally knocking your interests and you have every right to be proud of your accomplisments in building one pile of easy to find slabbed bullion rounds after another if that's what floats your boat, but where are your real coins? I looked trough every set you have listed and didn't see anything old that was actually made for circulation.

 

I agree with your wife- sell them all and build a set of something that is actually rare and difficult to find. There is great pride in tracking down a coin for your set when there are less than 100 in existence, and especially when there are only dozens left of the original mintage. I'd rather look for a low grade circulated 1864-S half eagle any day. Obviously, I collect half eagles, and the gentleman in the #1 spot has such a super set that I will never be able to take the honors of #1, but the thrill of filling each hole in my set is worth a hundred times more than owning hundreds of #1 sets of mass produced bullion coins made specifically for slabbing. I like doing what few others can do, and being limited by the number of specimens available (some require half a lifetime to find and usually that requires someone to die before they come back on the market) is a lot more fun than just ordering a coin that could be found in any number of dealer inventories at any given moment.

 

Again, no disrespect intended and you do have a lot of beautiful silver and gold bullion coins, just voicing my views. If I had your kind of money, it definitely wouldn't go into modern mass produced bullion coins at these super high premiums- I'd be tracking down an 1875 half eagle as soon as my lottery winnings showed up in my account...

[Kominsky Collection]

Lucky One - With all due respect some of your conclusions are factually incorrect. One might also not want to publicly diminish another's significant accomplishments over 50+ years of a hobby they love.

 

I once met a woman who collected potato peelers. I met another woman who collected painted wooden eggs. I didn't understand it but I complimented them just the same. I'll never forget how they beamed ear to ear when I did so. That gave me great joy as well.

 

 

 

 

[Lucky One]

I guess some don't like hearing opinions that differ from their own too, but that doesn't make me want to stop speaking my mind. I started collecting in 1965 and I don't forget much so I base my statements on reality. If you'd like to point out exactly what was factually incorrect I'd be happy to discuss it with you but your reply is very vague. I thought I made it clear that I wasn't meaning to put you or your sets down, just making the observation that anyone with a pile of money could replace you as #1 king in short order and pointing out that the thrill for me isn't fame and fortune, but tracking down true numismatic rarities and forming the nicest set possible on a limited income. Like I said, if it floats your boat, more power to you, I just like the history and rarity of coins made for what coins are made for- circulating, with all their inherent imperfections. To each his own. Sorry to disagree with you sir...

 

oh, and by the way- in case you missed the first two words of my original post- congrats Dan

[Dan Hughes]

Your response above was not to me but Dharma King, another avid World Coin collector.

It's not your first two words "congrats Dan" that make me pause and wonder about your post. It's the two words that follow them "I think." That would indicate you're not sure and the rest of your comments are mostly on the negative side.

I am certainly not someone with a "buttload of money" as you put it. If there are people out there with that kind of money than I suppose we would see more people with a large number of #1 sets, but there aren't.

As far as pointing out what you are factually incorrect about, let's start with your statement "taking coins that are intentionally made perfect by the millions and then put in slabs to declare that perfection". I have a very large number of coins, well over 100 in my collection that have mintages of less than 500. Some less than 200. So no, there are not millions of them and even if you did win the lotto tomorrow I doubt you would be able to whip up the collection I have put together in a short period of time.

Another item you are factually incorrect about "building one pile of easy to find slabbed bullion rounds after another if that's what floats your boat, but where are your real coins?" There are many of these coins that are not easy to find, especially in Grade 70. You can go to my custom World coin set where I currently have listed 141 Grade 70 coins with a population at that grade of 1. Yes, only 1. Uno. Not a boatload, not millions, just 1. Obviously you didn't look very hard to understand what was in the collection before you chose to shoot off your note.

I would say that is typical of the type of person who usually has negative things to say about world coins. They are usually collectors of US coins, circulated and certainly not modern. But you know, deep down inside I think they are all just jealous of world coin collections and wish they had gotten into that area instead of their old circulated coins.

Ultimately it's about what the individual enjoys collecting. I enjoy hearing about others finding that special item they were looking for years to find. I'm happy you have your half eagles and hope you find your 1864 S. I'll keep looking for that 2009 $20 Canada Proof Maple Leafs Hockey mask where I've been told only 30 are believed to have survived.

That's 30, not billions. About the same number of 1864 S Half Eagles if my research is correct.

[Kominsky Collection]

I can't remember who wrote it but I recently read a quote that I liked a lot. It was: "

Today's moderns are tomorrow's classics."

 

 

[Lucky One]

Your response above was not to me but Dharma King, another avid World Coin collector.

It's not your first two words "congrats Dan" that make me pause and wonder about your post. It's the two words that follow them "I think." That would indicate you're not sure and the rest of your comments are mostly on the negative side.

I am certainly not someone with a "buttload of money" as you put it. If there are people out there with that kind of money than I suppose we would see more people with a large number of #1 sets, but there aren't.

As far as pointing out what you are factually incorrect about, let's start with your statement "taking coins that are intentionally made perfect by the millions and then put in slabs to declare that perfection". I have a very large number of coins, well over 100 in my collection that have mintages of less than 500. Some less than 200. So no, there are not millions of them and even if you did win the lotto tomorrow I doubt you would be able to whip up the collection I have put together in a short period of time.

Another item you are factually incorrect about "building one pile of easy to find slabbed bullion rounds after another if that's what floats your boat, but where are your real coins?" There are many of these coins that are not easy to find, especially in Grade 70. You can go to my custom World coin set where I currently have listed 141 Grade 70 coins with a population at that grade of 1. Yes, only 1. Uno. Not a boatload, not millions, just 1. Obviously you didn't look very hard to understand what was in the collection before you chose to shoot off your note.

I would say that is typical of the type of person who usually has negative things to say about world coins. They are usually collectors of US coins, circulated and certainly not modern. But you know, deep down inside I think they are all just jealous of world coin collections and wish they had gotten into that area instead of their old circulated coins.

Ultimately it's about what the individual enjoys collecting. I enjoy hearing about others finding that special item they were looking for years to find. I'm happy you have your half eagles and hope you find your 1864 S. I'll keep looking for that 2009 $20 Canada Proof Maple Leafs Hockey mask where I've been told only 30 are believed to have survived.

That's 30, not billions. About the same number of 1864 S Half Eagles if my research is correct.

 

 

You took my generalities out of context to make yourself look correct, but that is far from the case. Also, of all the coins you have in those sets, you likely spent a lot more for those #1 titles than I did for my entire rare half eagle set. That IS a buttload of money to most people, and to all blue collar workers, no two ways about it my friend. Further, if you look for negativity in anything, you WILL find it, and you did. I simply made a statement that the coins that you collect are not coins, they are silver and gold rounds with no real numismatic value in my mind, numismatics is the study of coinage, and coinage is what people used to use to buy things and pay their debts. Not a single coin in your set was designed, made or intended for circulation, and although that statement might be factually inaccurate (because I'm not wasting the time to look at every single coin in every single set), it is absolutely true for the vast majority of coins in your sets. So, again, I say you assembled 228+ sets of silver and gold rounds with denominations printed on them but which were never intended for anything but inclusion in a pristine set of silver or gold rounds, right? Please don't miss the meaning of my reply- it is not to make you look bad in any way, not an nattack, not meant to insult or offend, just a straight up statement to explain the difference between 'coins' and disks made of precious metals for encapsulation and profit. As for your statement that they will be tomorrow's rarities- maybe, but explain why all the tiny mintages over the past fifty years are still neither rare nor valuable like any true classic American rarity. Dan, it's a cool accomplisment, granted, and I do congratulate you, that is why I said congrats. The 'I think' was the prelude to the rest of my statements. I hope you get along better with the wife when you disagree with her. Been there, done that, but my wife, after 25 years of this, finally sees my passion as well as my reasoning because the values have gone up drastically on true early American rare coins while the prices on much of the modern made-for-investors and slabbers stuff merely follows bullion and still fails to gain a large enough gathering to even work up a yawn. Best regards my friend, to each his own. And by the way- pop 1 means nothing when there are still so many out there, made just as perfect, that haven't been sent in for slabbing. Just because NGC and PCGS don't say they exist doesn't mean they don't exist...

[Lucky One]

One last thing Dan- I thought I mentioned it in my original post but if I didn't, I want you to know that I think your sets are very beautiful and interesting, honestly didn't mean to belittle them my friend. I would never insult another persons child, I have the same passion for my collection as you do for yours and that is why I said to each his own

[Kominsky Collection]

Lucky One - If one had the inclination they could turn their nose up at all the "details graded" coins in your collection of "real" coins. But what would be the motivation for someone to slight a collection with so much blood, sweat, tears and passion behind it? I would only give your collection absolute praise and a pat on the back for a job well done. Congratulations to you and Dan Hughes for your admirable accomplishments.

[Mohawk]

Lucky One,

I've liked a lot of what you've written on here before, but I have to be honest with you and say that I do not like some of the sentiments expressed in this thread.

 

You've congratulated Dan, but then proceeded to put down his coins. You then proceeded to do another thing I really dislike by placing classic US coins on a pedestal over coins of other nations. The first part insulted Dan and the modern community he belongs to and the second part insulted me and the world community I belong to.

 

I can see your argument as to liking coins that were actually used in circulation. I tend to think along those lines with my own collecting as I like that connection with the people of the past. I like to have the coins that people in the Ottoman Empire and Germany used to buy their groceries, pay their rent or mortgage and buy other things that they and their families needed in their everyday lives. To me, that is awesome and powerful. It's a way of connecting with these societies that I am so fascinated by.

 

But according to you, only classic US coins are worth pursuing. That's a very sad way to think. I myself don't really collect US coins, but I can see how they're magical to you. They're magical to you in the same way that my Ottoman and German coins are to me. They're just from a different society than the ones I collect from. I see the magic of those coins in your eyes, but you don't seem to see the magic of coins of similar age and use but from societies other than the United States in that light and that really bothers me. You basically said US awesome, all else not as worthy.

 

You talk about pricing and rarity with US coins. This is a topic I've discussed with many numismatists both on here and elsewhere. It is true that many US coins command high prices, higher than coins from other places. This is not often a true measure of rarity, rather it is a measure of demand for those coins at the present time. There are certainly a lot of collectors of US coins, particularly among collectors of the Baby Boomer generation though it is certainly not limited to that age group. However, many younger collectors from generations after that one are going more and more to world coin collecting rather than US for a lot of reasons.

 

The thing is this.....there are so many coins from other nations that are much rarer than many US coins considered rare, and this includes most attainable US key dates. I have a 1327 yr 7 (1915 Western Date) Ottoman 20 Para on the registry. It has an estimated original mintage of 500 coins. It took me FIVE YEARS to even find one to buy! This wasn't a matter of just having the money ready, as it is with many US keys but actually finding the coin! And I had to purchase it from a dealer in Saudi Arabia! While this coin doesn't command the price of many US keys currently, it's much, much rarer and is a rarity that deserves some respect. I could list more coins like this, but I'll just leave the one example.

 

I'm hoping that you didn't mean your posts in this way, but if you did that's not a good thing. Attitudes like that are driving many collectors away from US collecting and into just world because they don't want to deal with attitudes like that. It's just blatant disrespect and numismatic nationalism. And it's not good for maintaining US coin values as it's the most demand driven area of numismatics. If I won the lottery, I could buy most US key dates all day, every day and in decent numbers in many cases. Most world keys do not work that way and are more challenging than just getting money together to buy a "rare" coin. I won't go any farther than this because I want to show you and your coins respect. But world collecting is the growing thing these days. It's where most younger people coming into the hobby go to, and it's only going to become more of a force in the entire numismatic community.

 

As for the moderns, well, I understand why people dig them, especially non-US moderns. The mints around the world can do some pretty impressive stuff these days, and a lot of it is highly enjoyable to own and contemplate. Even though I'm not a much of modern collector myself, I sell a lot of them and I have a ton of fun doing it. I do have a couple modern sets myself from Chile, but they're circulation issues. Dan's got some of the cooler issues from around the world in his sets, and you can see his passion and dedication to these coins. That's what I liked about your set when I complimented you. Even though I'm not into US and I would never pursue what you pursue, I saw your passion and dedication and the love you have for your coins. It made me happy to see someone preserving and enjoying those coins, even though I do not like them myself.

 

In closing, that's what is important about this community. There are so many of us here pursuing so many different interests and enjoying them immensely. That's what makes this such a vibrant and awesome place to meet up and share our collections. We should be glad that there's collectors all of the coins shared because it's a great thing that all of these coins are being collected, cared for and preserved. So Dan, I give you a true and honest congratulations on your accomplishment! You should be very proud and satisfied! And Lucky One, well, I'm sincerely hoping that you meant a lot of what you said in a way other than how I took it. If not, then I don't know what else to say other than please read this and take it as I mean it, as another point of view and insight into collectors who collect things other than what you might pursue. We respect you and your coins. Please do the same for us.

 

~Tom

[Critter8880]

I would like to add a point to this conversation. First off I want to say great job to Dan! Your set shows dedication.

LuckyOne like you I tend to favor coins that were or are created for circulation. My personal approach to numismatics is an anthropological route,meaning coins are stories of societies, who they are, and what they value. Coins are depictions of identity and nationhood. I would not necessarily write off modern commemorative coins because they did not go into cash registers for bread, milk, clothing, and lightbulbs. These coins are still telling stories of societies. A few examples:

1- World War I shaped the national consciousness of many and there are modern coins coming out 100 years later remembering those stories. On my want list is the 2014 Isle of Man commemorating Christmas of 1914, showing the opposing sides playing football. This coin shows a human side or story to the war that killed the old world.

2- Canada just released a Bugs Bunny coin. How many of us have fond childhood memories and stories of Looney Toones. Growing up I loved spending an hour with my Grandpa watching and laughing at great cartoons. It was something that could span generations.

3- For collectors of American moderns there will be a Mark Twain commemorate. Whether we loved or hated his work, generations of school children read his works, and this bring up all kinds of collective childhood memories for us.

Modern commerative coinage still has its stories even though it never saw circulation. No matter where we come from, or how we identify ourselves, we have plenty of stories to share, and expressions of who we are or what we would like to be as a society.

[silver1320]

Dan, I have to say that your collection is amazing. I just started collecting slabbed coins only 4 years ago. I focused on Australian Koala's 1 oz. silver coins. I took me years to work the set up to number one. Along the way I started other sets. I do not have a lot of money, so some of the coins I bought and had graded to get the 70's I wanted. I know that you have done the same to build your collection. It does take a lot of time, effort and searching. searching, searching for what you have completed. After completing my few sets and looking on your vast amounts I have to say that I am impressed with them. I see my Koala set with a sense of pride, knowing what it took to gather all the coins in the set. You should be very proud of your collecting. With that said, good luck in the future and I hope you all the best.